Celebrity Heartbreaker
by bkuebird
Summary: Yazawa Nico aka popular singer and actress, Nico-nii has been nicknamed the "Celebrity heartbreaker" because of the number of celebrities she has rejected. But when a new singer and song-writer Nishikino Maki has caught her attention, will she be heartbroken instead? Throw in some nosy managers, a cup of spilled coffee along with a ruined dress, and you have a NicoMaki love story!
1. Prolouge

A/N: Hi again! It's Chiharu! This is my second fic, a multi-chaptered one! And of course it's my otp, NicoMaki! This will be a short chapter as it's just the prolouge, more instresting things will happen later. Also, here's a big hug and thank you to all those who favorited and reviewed my other story!

Please feel free to review, give some feedback and ideas for the story! Also, please check out my other story, Drunk on you if you haven't, thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own love live! or any of its characters.

"Celebrity heartbreaker strikes again! The ever popular and sought after idol, Nico-nii has broken another fragile heart." closing the magazine, a tired voice signed. "Nico-chi, you can't keep doing this or else you'll end up all alone..."

"Pfft, yeah right. I just don't like any of those other celebrities, I wish the press wouldn't make such a fuss." Nico complained.

Yazawa Nico, aged 22, stage name: Nico-nii, is an extremely popular actress and singer. Her cute looks and heart-stopping smile never fail to amaze a crowd and her excellent acting makes her the perfect lead role. Her current manager is Toujou Nozomi, a long-time aquaintence and close friend. Nico currently has a record deal with WestKino records.

"Nozomi is right, Nico. It couldn't hurt to give them a chance." another voice added.

"Yes, it could! Some of them are so clingy and it'll make it even harder to reject them!" Nico retorted, "Also, I don't want to hear that from you, Miss I'm-so-charming-but-still-single!" Nico yelled, frowning.

"What?! I just haven't found the right person, that's all!" Eri rebutted, shocked at the accusation.

Ayase Eri, aged 22, is a famous dancer and choreographer as well as a singer and actress, in other words, a triple-threat. She debuted as a dancer in a famous movie before rising up to stardom. Her current manager is Toujou Nozomi, her best friend. She currently has a record deal with WestKino records.

"Now, now that's enough you two. You're lucky I don't force you both into relationships." Nozomi said, trying to ease the tension between the two of them.

Toujou Nozomi, aged 22, is a top-class manager who founded many brilliant stars. She posseses a calming aura and is very persuasive. She is currently working for StarManagement co.

Eri chose to turn the other cheek as Nico glared at her, fuming. _Why can't everyone understand that even though those other celebrities are pretty and handsome, I just don't feel attracted to them? _

They were currently lounging at Nozomi's penthouse living room, having a small break from their hectic lifestyle.

"Hey, I want you guys to take a look at this video here." Nozomi called out to the two celebrities, motioning for them to come over and sit next to her on the sofa.

They both shifted over and once they were seated near her, she pressed play on the video.

On the screen, was a beautiful red-haired girl in a knee length purple dress that was playing the piano and singing. As her fingers danced across the piano keys, her melodious voice followed in harmony.

"Oh, isn't this that new singer? She deubuted with this song." Eri said, eyes still on the video. "Yep, she has a record deal with WestKino records, just like the both of you. So in a way, she's your competition. There's something about her voice that just pulls you in, right?" Nozomi asked, smiling as she heard the music. Eri nodded in response.

Nico had remained silent the entire time, eyes glued to screen as she drank in the beautiful music, watching the girl's movements intently. Indeed, there was something captivating about her that Nico just couldn't catch. Was it her beautiful purple eyes? Her elegant fingers? Her crimson red hair or that dazzling smile she presented to the viewers at the end of the video?

"What's her name?" Nico had questioned without even a second thought, and Nozomi was quite surprised since Nico rarely paid any attention to other stars besides herself.

"Nishikino Maki." she replied, before typing something into her computer.

Instantly, pictures of Maki popped up on the screen along with various news articles and information.

Eri took the computer from Nozomi, to read more about the rising star. _Nishikino Maki, eh?_ Nico thought, _she seems interesting._

A/N: And that was the prolouge! Also, I'm gonna need all of your help on deciding some stuff!

1) There will be some side couples you can vote for! :

RinPana

NozoEri/EriUmi

KotoUmi/HonoKoto

No threesomes please, as it'll be kind of hard to explain! In the end though, I might still go with the pairings I think fit the story best according to the roles of each character.

2) Also, the roles of the other characters! They are undecided so could you guys tell me what would be fitting?

Hoshizora Rin - Personal trainer for Nico

Koizumi Hanayo - Chef(?)/Personal assistant(?)

Kousaka Honoka - Director

Please vote and review! Thank you! :)


	2. A latte coated dress

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews, favs and follows! I honestly did not expect this much support! Majority of you voted for NozoEri and KotoUmi, it's still undecided for now because as much as I ship these two couples, my guilty heart goes out to EriUmi! I think I'll play around with the ships. Also, a request for Honoka x Tsubasa! I might add this one in, maybe Tsubasa will be director Kousaka's waifu? Hahaha! Anyway, this chapter will focus on how NicoMaki meet and reveal the roles of Kotori and Umi.

Please continue to give me your support and ideas, thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live! or any of its characters.

Scene 1: A latte coated dress

"Maki, are you done yet? We have to be at the studio in thirty minutes, and you know there's always traffic on the way there!" a voice reminded, knuckles tapping against the red-haired singer's door.

"Alright, alright! I'm almost done putting on the dress, don't rush me!" Maki replied as she zipped up the dress.

Before she left the room however, she stopped at the full-length mirror and did a little twirl, to check how she looked in the dress.

"I must admit, your friend did an excellent job with this dress, Umi!" she said as her hand twisted the doornob.

Nishikino Maki, aged 20, is an extremely talented singer and songwriter, to the point where people have started to call her a 'genius'. Her looks only adds to how amazing she is, with unique purple eyes and crimson hair, she captivates her audience easily. Her current manager is Sonoda Umi. She has a record deal with WestKino records.

"Of course, she is one of the best!" Umi boasted, "Though I have to say, you look stunning in the dress!" she complimented, when Maki stepped out of the room.

The dress was white with intricate flower designs and it floated just above Maki's ankles, it was made with the best materials as Umi had requested.

Sonoda Umi, aged 21, is young manager working under FantasiaManagment co. She is very organized and orderly, strictly following the schedule she plans out and is always polite even when dealing with the worst people.

"Now that you're all ready, let's get going or we'll fall behind the schedule! Onwards, to the car!" she instructed as she pointed dramatically towards the door.

Maki signed, her manager could be rather eccentric at times but she was efficient and trustworthy plus her reactions never failed to entertain the red head. She followed Umi out the door and to the driveway, where a private car was already waiting.

"Niko puri nikoniko niko puri YEAH! Puriti~ GIRL!" Nico sang out the last words of her song enthusiastically, panting a little from the effort she put in.

"And that's it for today! Well done, Nico-san." Kousaka Yukiho said, smiling. "I'll do some minor touch-ups and let you hear the song again tomorrow."

Nico nodded and grinned, taking of her headphones as she left the recording room, she was immediately greeted with a cup of water from Nozomi.

"Good job, Nico-chi!" her elated manager smiled.

The both of them stood there, talking about Nico's next album till Yukiho interrupted them, "Sorry, I don't wanna chase you guys out but another singer is coming in soon."

"Who?" both of them asked simultaneously.

"Nishikino Maki." Yukiho replied causually, unaware of what was happening in Nico's head. Her name seemed to cause temporary obstruction to Nico's train of thought, _she's coming here? What's up with this feeling? Like, like I have to go see her! I need to meet her in person! _

Almost instantly, Nico dashed out of the room and nearly collided with Eri at the door.

"Woah, Nico slow down. Where are you rushing off to? By the way, here's your latte." Eri said, handing Nico the cup.

Nico cluctched onto the latte tightly as she ran past Eri with a quick 'thanks', not bothering to reply to the blonde's questions.

Nico sprinted to the elevator, pressing the button for the first floor repeatedly, if she wasn't the only one in the lift, people would have suspected she was crazy.

She charged out of the lift the second the doors opened and to her utter dismay, she crashed right into a certain someone, spilling the contents of her cup all over her.

"Ahhhh!" a voiced screamed.

A venti cup of latte now stained the once white dress, like ink bled onto paper. Permanent, so horribly permanent.

Umi, shocked and startled, took her handkerchief and began helping the redhead clean up as much as possible while Nico stood there staring, dumbfounded.

"Hey!" A loud voice broke Nico's temporary mind block, "do you know what you've just done?!" Maki yelled, seething with anger.

"Uh.. I.. uhm, you're N-Nishikino Maki?" Nico stuttered, looking like a fool.

"After what you did to this dress, you ought to be praying it wasn't me you bumped into, you-you-wait, aren't you Nico-nii?" Maki asked, once she took a good look at the culprit instead of fussing over an already ruined dress.

"Y-Yeah... uhm, I'm really really sorry about the dress! I'll uh, buy you a new one!" Nico replied, unable to think of anything else.

"Buy me a new one?" Maki scoffed, "Do you know who made this?" Nico shook her head.

"THE Minami Kotori. This is a one of a kind dress made for me by her, I was suppose to wear it for a photoshoot later but now..." Maki gritted her teeth, fuming.

"N-No way, Minami Kotori designed this?" Nico gasped, shocked. She was definitely in trouble now.

And as she took a closer look at the stained dress, it was indeed beautiful and unique but it was now destroyed, by her own recklessness.

Umi signed and turned to look at Nico, "Do you knoe what you've just done? Can I-" she started before she was cut off by the sound of someone yelling.

"Nico-chi! Why did you just rush out? And- oh my, what happened here?" Nozomi questioned.

Maki growled, "Oh I'll tell you what happened, tha-" "Enough, Maki. Go get a change of clothes, I'll deal with everything here." Umi instructed, mantaining a relatively calm demeanor. Fustrated, Maki complied reluctantly and as she was about to stomp off, Nozomi told Nico to follow her.

_Great, miss dress ruiner is following me._ Maki let out a grumble as she headed to the bathroom.

Nico remained quiet, feeling too guilty and nervous to say a word.

Just as she had mustered up enough courage to say something when they entered the bathroom, Maki beat her to it. "I don't want to hear your lame apologies, what you did was..." And as Maki trailed off about what Nico did, the actress took the chance to admire the girl's beauty.

She looked flustered and her dress was ruined but her eyes were mesmerizing and her fiery red hair was eye-catching. However, Nico also noticed that her dress was becoming a little see-through.

She quinted her eyes and realised she could see the outline of Mak's bra. _Oh my gosh, I-I_ her cheeks flared red and she tried badly to look else where but her eyes kept returning to the same spot on Maki's dress.

She tried looking lower, however as her eyes landed on Maki's stomach, she realised the outline of Maki's underwear could also been seen. _Wait, stop I can't take this, help!_ Nico screamed internally while her cheeks flushed a much darker shade of red.

Upon noticing the other singer's face getting redder as each second passed, Maki felt a little suspicious.

She followed Nico's line of sight and soon, realization struck her. Maki looked up and met Nico's eyes, breaking the other girl's concentration. "Y-You, I can't believe!" Maki stuttered out due to both embarrassment and anger. _Why am I feeling so flustered about her seeing me like this?_ She tried helplessly to cover up but to no avail, her whole face was red from embarrassment.

Nico averted her eyes, to spare Maki from any more shame. The second her eyes shifted to look at Maki, the singer was already standing right in front of her.

However, before she knew it, Maki delivered a quick slap to her face. "You're u-unbelievable! First, you ruin my dress and then, you ignore my words and finally, y-you're being such a-a pervert!" Maki yelled, panting.

Nico clasped a hand over her slightly swollen cheek, too shocked to say a word. She did not imagine her first meeting with Maki to be like this.

"You should just go already, I don't need your help." Maki said harshly, turning her back to Nico and walking to one of the toliet cubicles. Unaware of the words acting like daggers upon Nico's heart, causing scars mercilessly.

"Also," she began, as she was about to close the door to the cubicle, "I don't understand why people even fall in love with you, you're the absolute worst, celebrity heartbreaker!" and with that last hurtful statement, Maki slammed the door shut.

Nico was only able to stand there, hand still clasped over her swollen cheek, apalled. She felt something hurting more than her cheek.

For the first time, Yazawa Nico, the celebrity heartbreaker, was feeling a little bit of heartbreak instead.

A/N: Hey, hope you liked it! Yeah, the story basically starts out with Maki kind of hating Nico and slowly it gets better(or worse? Hehehe) And thank you again for your suggestions, I have decided on the roles for most of the characters except for Hanayo, who should she be? I have one suggestion of her being a sort of reporter, but I wanted to give her a more fufilling role so please drop your suggestions!

And I wonder if I surprised you all by making Umi the manager? She's just so proper and organized! I have also decided to put in the members of A-Rise though they will be appearing later in the story. The next chapter will focus on the attempt to replace the dress and Kotori's entrance to the story! Along with a surprise!

So, please review and look forward to the next chapter! *hands out celebratory pictures of Umi in a sexy china dress* .


	3. The shining invitation

A/N: Hey, Chiharu here! Sorry for the late update! I have decided that the likely endgame side pairings are NozoEri and KotoUmi *cue applause* but do not fret my dear EriUmi shippers, they will have their moments. Honoka will probably be with Tsubasa! Glad to know that some of you liked Umi's little moment, she'll probably be the object of comedy in the story. Like what I said previously, this chapter is about meeting with Kotori and a surprise character! Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live! Or its characters.

Scene 2: A meeting with the best designer and the shining invitation

"Niconii-san, I think you must have understood why I called you here by now, right?" a brown haired female celebrity said, tone serious.

_And here we go, it always starts like this._ Nico let out a sigh, she sipped her drink and put on her persona. "What do you mean, nico~?" she asked innocently, tilting her head to the side.

"I... I like you, Niconii-san! I think your voice is fabulous and your acting is great, you're also a really humble and kind person! Please give me a chance!" the celebrity bowed, pleading.

"O-Oh, but I..." _let her down easy, Nico,_ "I'm really flattered but I'm sorry I don't have feelings for you that way, you're really pretty and nice so you'll find someone else for sure, nico~!" Nico said with a bashful smile, feeling sorry for the girl.

The celebrity looked close to tears but she nodded and left silently. As Nico watched her walk away, she found herself thinking about a certain redhead.

_What's up with this feeling? Why do I feel so upset when I think about what she said to me? Is it... because I like her?_

Nico nearly choked on her saliva at that mere thought, she felt like she was going insane. P_erhaps, I'm a little attracted to her looks? Yeah, that must be it!_

Nico breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, her phone rang and she immediately picked up the call, "Hello?"

"Nico-chi! Are you on your way there yet? The meeting is in half an hour!" Nozomi said over the phone, a hint of worry showing in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm going there now. I'll meet you and Eri outside the building." Nico replied as she managed to flag down a cab.

"Okay, see you there." Nozomi said. "Yeah, bye." Nico responded before clicking 'end call' on her phone screen and telling the cab driver where to go.

Outside the building, Nozomi tapped her foot against the pavement, awaiting the appearance of the black-haired idol. Eri was next to her, fiddling with her phone.

A dark aura surrounded the usually positive manager as she muttered impatiently to Eri, "If Nico-chi doesn't come in the next 5 seconds I will give her a punishment she'll never forget and she won't even think of disobeying me ever aga-"

"Hey Nozomi, Eri!" a loud voice called out to them, waving her hand.

Instantly, Nozomi's personality did a hundred and eight degree change, and she turned to face Nico with a big smile. "You're here Nico! Now let's run through what you need to say again." Eri shuddered at the thought of what her best friend might have done to Nico, i_gnorance is bliss_ she thought while looking at Nico talking to Nozomi.

"Again? I've practically memorized the lines already, we don't need to! I'm an actress, not a five year old!" Nico complained.

"You sure look like one though..." Nozomi muttered under her breath in a teasing tone.

"What did you say?!" Nico snapped, glaring at her manager.

Eri signed, looking at the both of them with a somewhat amused expression. Her circle of friends were certainly weird.

"Let's go inside now, better not keep them waiting!" Nozomi said with a grin, purposely trying to change the subject as she walked into the building.

"Hey! Wait, we're not done here!" Nico shouted as she followed Nozomi in, "Y-You're the idiot who chose to manage a five year-old!" she said, unable to think of a good comeback.

"So you admit it then?" The manager turned around for a brief moment to shoot Nico a teasing wink.

Nico was about to retaliate when Eri placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her an empathetic smile and shaking her head. The black-haired idol frowned but listened to Eri's unspoken words and walked inside the building with the blonde close behind.

The three of them took the lift to the top floor, where Kotori's office was located. Knocking on the large wooden double doors with a panel beside it saying "Minami Kotori", Nozomi opened the door the second she heard a "Please come in!" .

When the door opened, it revealed a large office with a spacious desk and bookshelves at the side, as well as an area that was arranged neatly with sofas, perfect for discussion. Kotori, who was seated at the lone chair in the middle, motioned for the three of them to take a seat.

They sat down and opposite of them was a rather sour-looking redhead and her manager. Kotori smiled despite the tense situation and turned to face the trio. "Hello, I'm Minami Kotori. Nice to meet you." she held out her hand for a handshake. Nozomi shook her hand firmly and returned the smile. "Toujou Nozomi, nice to meet you too Minami-san. And the ones sitting next to me are my cilents." she motioned towards the blonde, "Ayase Eli" and towards Nico, "Yazawa Nico otherwise known as Nico-nii"

"Ah I see, and please just call me Kotori, Toujou-san." She smiled, before turning to look at Nico. "So you're the one who ruined my dress..." she said, a smile still on her face however a noticable twitch in her eyebrow could be seen.

Nico immediately stiffened, nodding slightly. "Now that all the introductions are done, let's get started shall we?" Umi began, pulling out a few sheets of paper from her briefcase. Placing them on the table, she said, "Yazawa-san, before we begin our negotiation, is there anything you'd like to say?"

"Uh.. yes! I want to apologise to everyone here for causing this mess due to my recklessness. And to Minami-san for ruining a wonderful dress and to Maki-san for spilling hot coffee on her. I'm truly sorry for my mistake." Nico said, reciting the words Nozomi prepared for her perfectly.

"Very well then. Firstly, we should check with Koto- I mean, Minami-san if she's okay with making a new dress for Maki." Umi said, directing her attention to Kotori.

"The first time I made this dress was under your request, Umi-chan." Kotori replied, grinning teasingly at Umi, who's cheeks promptly flushed red after the mention of her name informally. "But seeing as Nico-san seems genuinely sorry for her mistake, I can make a new one." she gave a small reassuring smile to Nico, calming said girl's nerves quickly.

"Wonderful, thank you very much Kotori-san." Nozomi smiled, before she looked at Umi. "I suppose we need to talk about the terms of obtaining the dress?"

"Yes," Umi slipped on her professional-looking glasses, as she slid the papers towards Nozomi. "Please look over the conditions we have proposed."

As Nozomi and Eri scanned the terms, Nico found herself looking at Maki, who had been completely silent the entire time. The redhead's expression was nonchalant, looking at a painting on the office wall, lost in a sea of thoughts.

"Nico-chi!" Nozomi said, voice raised. "Why don't you and Maki-san go outside while we talk about the terms?" Nico stood up, and thanked Kotori, knowing well enough not to go against Nozomi. She grabbed her handbag and left the room.

Umi motioned for Maki to the same, the singer stood up and bowed once to Kotori before leaving the room as well.

Once the both of them had left the room, Kotori took the seat Maki previously occupied next to Umi and questioned, "Why did you send them out Toujou-san?" Nozomi gave her infamous grin, "Oh, I predicted that something interesting will happen!" Kotori and Umi looked at each other confused and Eri let out an exasperated sigh.

Standing outside the office awkwardly was a particular black-haired idol and her possible crush. Maki was not even looking in Nico's direction and Nico, feeling the urge to say something immediately stuttered out, "I'm really sorry!"

At the sudden outburst, Maki turned around and signed, "... It's okay really, now that everything is settled." And she even offered Nico a small brief smile to reassure her. "Sorry for what I said, I was just really angry. I didn't mean what I said." Maki apologised. Nico was shocked by what the redhead said, and merely nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Let's start over, okay? I'm Nishikino Maki, nice to meet you!" Maki said, too cheerfully with a seemingly angelic face.

"Uhhh, nice to meet you too? I'm Yazawa Nico." Nico mumbled out, thinking that Maki's behaviour was just too strange. As if on cue, Maki let out a loud sigh and said, "There, done! I never want to do that again!"

"What?" Nico asked, looking at Maki whose angelic face faded only to reveal a frown. "Umi made me say all of that, she said I need to at least apologize but after thinking about what you did, I don't think you deserved that." Maki stated bluntly. Nico, who was originally surprised instead got fustrated, "Are you kidding?! And I thought you were being nice, I guess I was wrong, you're just insensitive and mean!" She retaliated, staring at Maki with a nasty glare. _I can't believe her, how am I suppose to be nice when she's like this? _

"You don't deserve it, celebrity heartbreaker!" Maki mocked, staring back at Nico.

"Don't call me that, I'm not a heartbreaker!" Nico yelled.

"You are!"

"Are not!"

"Are to!"

"Are not!"

They threw more insults at each other till Maki got fed up and snapped, "Whatever, I'm leaving!" She opted to take the lift, but Nico could follow her so she dashed for the stairs next to Kotori's office. Nico, still upset at Maki, chased after her. "Stop, we're not finished!"

Maki was about to run down the stairs but she tripped and was about to fall forward until Nico grabbed onto her arm. "Be careful!" Nico exclaimed but as she tried to pull the singer up, she used too much force causing both of them to stumble and fall onto the ground with Maki on top of Nico.

Meanwhile, inside Kotori's office they were almost done with the discussion. "And that settles it." Umi declared proudly as she kept the papers. "Thank you very much for your cooperation, Nozomi." She smiled.

Nozomi nodded, and began to pack up her things as well.

Once she was done however, she shot Umi and Kotori a sly grin, "I have one question for the both of you though.." Kotori and Umi both nodded, simultaneously agreeing to answer her question.

"You two are dating, right?" she asked, smirking. Instantly, both of their faces flushed red as Umi choked on her saliva, prompting Kotori to rub her back. "How did you know?!" Umi asked, frantic. "Ufufufu, I merely observed your interactions, that's all." Nozomi answered.

"Wah, that's quite impressive Nozomi-san!" Kotori said, not bothered by the revelation of her relationship. "W-Well, you can't tell Maki or anyone else yet! We just started going out." Umi confessed, embarrassed.

"Alright I promise, Eri-chi promises too right?" Nozomi said, glancing towards her best friend who nodded, cheeks slightly pink. "We shall be taking our leave now. Thank you and goodbye, Kotori-san!" Nozomi said as she stood up with Eri and they left the office, leaving the couple alone for a short while.

Umi signed in relief, "Thank goodness, she's gone. I couldn't have been able to take anymore teasing." Kotori giggled, pecking the bluenette's cheek, "But Umi-chan, she barely even teased us." Umi blushed and whispered, "It's still embarassing... " The brown-haired designer's heart swelled up and she threw her arms around Umi, hugging her tightly. "Uwah, you're just too cute Umi-chan!" She exclaimed as she kissed the manager's lips full on. The bluenette was barely able to comprehend what was happening before passing out from all the stimulation.

Nozomi and Eri left the office only to realise that neither Nico nor Maki could be seen. "Hm? Where did Nico go?" Eri asked, looking around. "Maybe she and Maki went to the first floor?" Nozomi suggested, "We should try and find them there." Eri nodded in response as they both got into the lift.

Nico felt hot. That was the only way to describe what was happening to her right now. Maki's hands were at the sides of her head, and her face was a few inches away. Those mesmerizing amethyst orbs stared into her crimson eyes, both of them were silent, cheeks flushed from what was happening. They didn't move, simply staring into the endless depth of each other's eyes.

_She's so mean and harsh, why do I even feel attracted to her? Is it because I think she's like me? Someone who's not honest with others?_ Nico was unable to move under Maki's weight and merely stared at the redhead, hoping she would move before Nico lost control and captured those plump and soft-looking lips. _Why won't my body move?_ Maki wondered, she felt like she was stuck to Nico like a magnet. She couldn't help but admire Nico's cuteness and beauty, eyes eventually landing on Nico's lips. _She's actually really pretty... _Maki thought.

Before either one of them could realise what was happening they had instinctively moved their heads closer and their lips grazed each other's briefly.

But the second they were apart, Maki jumped off of Nico is a mixture of shock and horror, clasping her hand over her mouth. Nico did the same, as she slowly stood up.

They stared at each other, wide-eyed. Just as Nico was about to say something, Maki's phone rang. The redhead picked up the call, face still red and feeling bewildered. "Hello?" "Ah, yes I'm with N-Nico." "Okay, we'll be down shortly." With that she ended the call.

"Uhm, our managers are looking for us... So we should p-probably head down. They're at the first floor." Maki said, avoiding eye-contact. Nico nodded and they both decided to take the lift this time instead.

Once they reached the first floor, they were greeted with a big surprise. Next to their managers was the most famous star in all of Japan, Yuuki Anju. She looked at them with a big smile, "You're finally here." Next to her was Toudou Erena, her manager as well as a few assitants behind them.

Yuuki Anju, aged 22, is the most popular actress and singer in all of Japan. Her princess like looks and angelic voice have made her very popular, and having the capable Erena Toudou, aged 22, has only helped to boost her popularity even more.

"Nico-nii and Nishikino Maki, Anju has something for you." Erena said and motioned for the assistants to pass something to Anju. Anju went up to the both of them and handed them an envelope each and explained, "Inside the envelope is an invitation to my party at my beach villa, all the hottest celebrities will be there hence this includes the both of you. Nico-nii and Maki-san are both great singers and very popular now, right?" She gave them a wink before continuing, "I've already handed an invitation to Eri-san and I hope to see all three of you there!" she shot them another heart-stopping smile as she headed for the lift, her assistants trailing behind her. Erena nodded at all five of them before following Anju.

"Did she just..?" Nico said, dumbfounded and her mind was left in a frenzy after today's events. Nozomi giggled at the awestruck face Nico was making and nodded, turning to face Umi and Maki. "Well, looks like the next time we meet is at the party." She smiled, and with that she bid them goodbye as she dragged a still shocked Nico out of the building. Eri waved at them with a small smile, following Nozomi out of the building.

Umi waved back, and once they were gone she turned to Maki. "Where were you? And why is your hair in a mess? What were you doing with Nico?" the bluenette shot these questions at Maki who's face only turned red in response. "I was just... c-chatting with her!" the singer said, averting her eyes.

Umi leaned in closer to inspect Maki's facial expression. "Hmm.. something is suspicious." she deduced. "W-We didn't do anything!" Maki rebuttled. "What you just said is even more suspicious..." she pressed the ridge of her glasses up looking even more intently at Maki before exclaiming in realization "Were you perhaps doing something... something shameful?!" Umi looked like she was about to pass out again from her thoughts.

"J-Just shut up a-already." Maki stuttered in reply.

A/N: So that was it! The second chapter! Hope you liked the KotoUmi moment I put in, but there will be some EriUmi and EriNozo in the laterr chapters. Next chapter is about the party and a jealous Nico. Please review! *Hands out pictures of Umi in a bikini*(taken by Kotori) See you next time!


	4. Jealousy strikes, хорошо party!

A/N: Hi, Chiharu here! Super sorry for the late update, I was having exams! Please forgive me! I hope you guys still like this story as there was a big drop in the no. of reviews... But thank you to all those who reviewed and followed/fav this story!

Did you guys hear the EriUmi duet? I LOVE IT! I will definitely write a summer themed fic for them once the full song comes out. Also, I'm currently working on a bunch of other fics, just too many ideas! Spoiler: Next fic will be KotoUmi!

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live! or any of its characters.

* * *

Scene 3: Jealousy strikes, хорошо party!

Nico was still in shock about the events that had happened on that very day even though a week has passed since then. What happened with Maki, her crush yet at the same time the only person who had bluntly stated she hated Nico? What sort of magnetic attraction compelled the both of them to kiss? And was she finally recognised by the world as she was invited to THE Yuuki Anju's party?

These thoughts continued to swirl in her head as she got ready for the party, Nozomi and Eli would be here to pick her up soon so she picked up the pace.

She was unable to even catch a glimpse of Maki the entire week and she had so many things to ask but she had no means of contacting her. For a brief moment she contemplated asking Nozomi but that would raise many embarrasing questions and she would never hear the end of her manager's teasing.

The sound of her doorbell ringing snapped her out her thoughts. Nico took one last glance at the mirror and feeling contented with how she looked, grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

"Nico-chi, you look great!" Nozomi commented with a big smile as Nico opened the door.

"Of course, who do you think you're talking too?" Nico brushed off the comment smugly.

Her manager simply shook her head with a smile and led Nico to the limousine, where Eri was already seated inside. And in under a minute, they were off to one of the biggest parties of the year.

* * *

Anju's party, at only seven in the evening, was already ablaze with loud music and tons of famous stars showing up one after another.

The trio were shocked by the sheer number of people at the party and as they entered the large beach villa, they were immediately greeted by Anju herself.

"Ah, you're all here! Great, please help yourself to some of the food and have fun! I'll talk to you guys later!" she shot them a playful wink and went to greet other guests.

"This is some party..." Eri commented as she glanced around, seeing many familiar faces. Nozomi nodded in response and noticed that Nico was surveying the area intensely as though she was looking for someone.

Indeed she was looking for a particular red-head. And as fate would have it, she spotted her near the buffet table. "Oh, isn't that Maki and Umi?" Eri asked as she glanced at where Nico was staring. "Yeah, let's go say hi! I need to speak with Umi-san anyway!" Nozomi grinned as she pulled her two cilents along.

* * *

Maki wasn't being much of a social butterfly, sticking close to Umi and politely greeting any celebrities she knew. And that was when she noticed the trio walking towards her and Umi. Her mind immediately recalled what happened at the staircase when she looked at Nico, her cheeks heated up and she began to question why they even kissed in the first place. She knew Nico might have questions for her, so she desperately tried to think of any way to avoid her.

Too late however, the three of them were already in front of Maki and Umi. Eri with a bright smile, Nozomi with a toothy grin and Nico looking somewhat irritated with her childish pout. Eri and Nozomi immediately struck up a conversation with Umi which left the both of them to stare awkwardly at each other.

_Okay, I need to know. I'm just gonna whisper it out so no one else hears._ Nico decided and she stared at Maki and in a soft voice she asked, "What did that incident at the staircase mean?"

* * *

Anger. Hot, bubbling anger. That was the only way to describe what Nico was feeling at the moment. She was supposed to be enjoying herself at this party but she simply couldn't after what had happened and what was currently happening. She thought about Maki's response to her question and felt her heart break a little.

_"Nothing." Maki replied, nonchalant._

_"Oh okay, good to know hahah- wait, did you just say nothing?" She was shocked._

_"Yeah, it was an accident that won't happen again." Maki had averted her eyes, twirling a lock of her red hair._

_"W-Wha- okay then!" Nico tried to brush of Maki's blunt words but in reality, they struck at Nico's hopes, shattering them. She looked at Nozomi and Eri, hoping to find some sort of comfort in talking to them. But before she knew it, Nozomi had declared that she and Umi would go on a hunt for potential clients and get themselves acquainted._

She pouted, upset that Nozomi was leaving her and Eri alone with Maki but she still noticed the shy waves shared between Eri and Umi as they parted.

However, the primary reason she was upset now was because she wasn't even able to talk to Eri because the blonde was busy chatting with Maki, who decided to ignore Nico's presence. She gritted her teeth as she watched them interact.

Eri and Maki were really hitting it off, they realised that they had similiar interests and tastes in music, shows, movies and even plays. "I can't believe you were the choreographer for that musical!" Maki exclaimed, awestruck.

"Ahah, well it was Nozomi who got me that job, it was real honour working with such talented people." Eri smiled sheepishly. "I even got their autographs and pictures with them." she added.

"That's pretty amazing, you have to show me some time!" Maki said.

Nico munched angrily on a sandwich from the buffet, as she watched them. From her point of view, Maki was already entranced by Eri's charm. She continued to sulk by herself, feelings unbeknownst to the both of them.

When Maki's hand touched Eri's arm however, Nico felt something in her snap. She managed to stop herself from marching over there and making a fuss. What is this feeling? Is it jealousy?

Eri had always been better than her in terms of looks, she had a womanly figure along with beautiful blonde locks and mesmerizing blue eyes compared to Nico's childlike figure. Nico used to have to try hard to catch others' attention while people flocked to Eri effortlessly. Things changed and she had never let any of these trivial insecurities and her jelaousy of Eri bother her anymore up till now.

Just as Nico felt her anger rise up, Nozomi appeared and like a superhero saving the day, she pulled Eri away from Maki, with a simple "Erichi, you need to meet this person".

Eri waved apologetically to Maki as she was led away and the red head did the same. The both of them were now stuck with each other, gazes averted. Nico contemplated what she ought to say and deciding that she would take a risk, turned to Maki and said, "I think we should talk about what happened. "

"What?" Maki asked, unable to hear Nico clearly over the increasingly loud music.

"I said, we need to talk!" she yelled over the booming music.

"What did you say?"

"I SAI-ugh, never mind. Just follow me." Nico grumbled and she grabbed Maki's hand, pulling the red haired beauty along with her. Maki, dumbfounded, followed Nico outside the villa.

Outside the villa, at the breach, there were significantly less people. They stood at the edge of the beach, staring out into the ocean. As the waves lapped at the shore, Nico began to speak. "I said, I need to talk to you."

Maki nodded, "If it's about that, I have nothing more to say." she replied coldly.

Nico felt her heart twist but she still persisted, "Then explain to me why we kissed!"

"The explanation is simple!" the singer replied, "Uhm... it was just due to our close proximity!"

"... Our what?"

"How close we were, you idiot."

"Don't call people older than you an idiot, that's just rude! Were you raised in a barn?" Nico retaliated, upset.

"W-What did you say?! I was certainly not and besides, you don't look older than me at all!" Maki yelled back.

The black haired singer gasped, offended. "How d-dare you?! Forget it, I don't care about you at all!"

"Good! I don't care about you either!"

"Fine then!"

The two of them looked away with crossed arms, both feeling exasperated from their quarrel. However, slowly, they did turn to sneak a glance at each other till their gazes met.

"W-What are you looking at?" Maki snapped, embarrassed for being caught staring.

"More like what are you l-looking at?" Nico turned her head, puffing her cheeks in mock anger.

"W-Well, it's just that your dress looks nice on you." Maki mumbled out, unaware that she was speaking her thoughts.

"H-Huh?" The black haired actress blushed, turning to face Maki. Realising what she had said, Maki slapped a hand over her own mouth and shook her head.

"Jeez... you look nice too, I guess." Nico signed, hoping to ease some of the other girl's embarrassment. Maki looked at Nico, surprised and she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"But really, if you wanted a compliment fron the amazing Nico-nii, you could have just said so!" she teased, grinning.

Maki fumbled with her words, unable to think of a comeback to Nico's statement. "Y-You!" she said as she pushed Nico, fustrated.

"Hey!" Nico shouted as she turned and pushed Maki back, but due to the amount of force she used, Maki ended up falling into the water.

"Kya-" the red head shrieked as she fell and landed on her butt in cold water, resulting in a splash that only drenched her clothes even more. "Maki-chan!" Nico called out, offering a hand to her.

Maki reached for Nico's hand and the second their hands touched, a spark was felt. What was that? Both of them wondered as the black-haired singer helped Maki get up.

The drenched red head looked down at her soaked dress that was already clinging to her like second skin, her hair was also wet and messy strands stuck to her face. In other words, the normally cool and posh Nishikino Maki, looked like a complete mess.

Nico was at a loss for words, uncertain of what to do in a situation like this, and in a reckless decision, she grabbed onto Maki and carried her bride-style.

"Wha-What are you doing?!" The read haired singer exclaimed, flustered.

Nico simple ignored Maki's words and dashed towards the villa, "T-Trust me on this!"

And just as she reached entrance to the villa, she called out for a certain auburn haired celebrity, "Anju-san! Anju-san!"

"Oh my, what happened?" A voice called out, her beautiful auburn hair flowing as she walked briskly towards them.

"Never mind that, please get Maki a change of clothes!" Nico said and put the blushing red head down.

In response Anju nodded firmly, "Okay, Maki-chan, please follow me to get a change of clothes!" Anju grabbed onto Maki's hand and pulled her along into the house. While being pulled along by Anju, the red head called out to Nico, "Nico-chan! Please help me tell Umi what happened!" The black-haired singer nodded and once they were out of sight, she let a small smile grace her face. _Nico-chan, eh?_

* * *

Once Nico was inside the villa, she was greeted by a certain frantic bluenette. Umi grabbed the singer by her shoulders and shook her vigorously as she shot questions at her, "What happened to Maki?!" "What were the both of you doing?!" "Why does she always have to get wet around you?" "N-N-No, wait! I d-didn't mean it like that!"

Nozomi was at the side, she couldn't help but laugh softly at her fellow manager. Eri, on the other hand, felt sorry for the girl and she rested her hand on Umi's shoulder as though to calm her down.

The blue-haired manager eventually did stop bombarding Nico with questions and caught her breath as Eri rubbed her back soothingly.

"Jeez, Maki isn't a kid y'know? You don't have to worry so much. She just fell into the water after our... our... uhm, chat?" Nico explained, a little amused at Umi's scene.

"Is that what really happened, Nicochi? Perhaps the both of you were in an intense moment and you-" a hand was slapped over Nozomi's mouth and the teasing words stopped. "Nozomi, I don't think Umi-san can handle anymore." Nico said, as she glanced at the flustered manager.

And before any more questions were raised, Maki appeared with Anju, now dressed in a simple summer dress. "Maki!" Umi rushed towards the redhead, relieved. "She's fine Umi-san, don't worry. Though, her dress is soaked through so I'll send it back when it's clean and dry." Anju smiled, hoping to ease any worries.

Soon, all the complications were cleared up and Anju was thanked profusely by both Umi and Maki. Since both parties were leaving soon, both managers had set out to say their goodbyes, dragging Eri along with them.

Maki and Nico were firmly told to stay put at the buffet table by a strict Umi, who didn't want any accidents happening again. A silence settled around them, before Nico apologized, "Sorry for ruining your clothes... again."

"It's okay, it was kind of my fault too." Maki replied, twirling a lock of her still damp hair.

They looked at each other and shared a small smile. "You should have seen Umi-san just now, she was so worried and all frantic. It was hilarious." Nico told the red head.

"I'm not surprised, she can be like that."

"She was all like-" Nico tried to mimic Umi's expression and movements, elicting a laugh from Maki.

"If you think that was funny, you should have seen her when I fell and sprained my ankle once." Maki giggled.

"I would kill to see that!" Nico laughed.

The both of them laughed together, finally sharing a friendly moment with each other.

After their laughter died down, Maki turned to Nico, extending out her hand as she said, "Nice to meet you, I'm Nishikino Maki."

Nico was taken aback by the sudden introduction but when she realized what Maki meant, she took a hold of her hand and shook it as she replied, "Nice to meet you too. I'm Yazawa Nico!"

They shared another small smile and soon after, a big grin spread onto Nico's face. "So... you wanted to start anew with the amazing Nico-nii? I guess I can't blame you." she said smugly, eyes twinkling with mischief.

"W-What! I n-never said anything like that! Don't go assuming things! If anything, you should be grateful that I'm giving you a second chance after all that's happened!" Maki exclaimed, crossing her arms.

Deciding that being forgiven was already a victory enough, Nico didn't try and argue with Maki, "Okay okay, thanks a lot o great and forgiving Maki-chan!"

Immediately the singer flushed bright red, "You don't have to say it like that! Jeez..." and at another realization, her cheeks were a shade of red deeper, "And w-who gave you permission to call me 'Maki-chan'?"

"So you can call me 'Nico-chan' but I can't call you Maki-chan doesn't sound very fair, does it?" The actress teased.

"A-Ah well..." Maki was at a loss for words so she simply looked away and muttered, "I guess I don't mind so it's okay."

Nico's grin only spread wider, and unbeknownst to the both of them, the trio had already returned and were watching them with relieved smiles.

* * *

However, what all of them didn't realise was the possible trouble brewing in a certain ash-haired designer's mind as she sat in her office thinking about a particular bluenette.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all liked it! I know normally Nico wouldn't apologize but she is a little love-struck at the moment so...

I must admit, I was listening to Anemone Heart while writing that lil' bit of EriUmi hehe. *feels Kotori's glares* Wait, Kotori-chan I love youuuu! And yes, there is a big surprise coming up! *gives out pictures of muse in sexy chinese dresses as an apology for a late update* See you guys soon!


	5. Under new management!

A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you for the reviews and favs/follows! They really motivate me and make me happy! So, just as a reminder, as you guys read the chapter, please do not think about killing me (especially KotoUmi fans) It's all for the sake of the story! Also, please read the A/N at the bottom.

And readers, should I put in RinPana too? Please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live! or any of its characters.

...

Scene 4: Under new managment?!

_Where is she?_ Maki wondered as she sat at her sofa, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor.

Umi had sent her text fifteeen minutes ago saying, **"Maki, I need to tell you something. I'll be at your house in ten minutes."** It wasn't like Umi to be late, the girl was always on time and Maki was always thankful for that.

She hoped that it wasn't anything serious and just something silly like how the bluenette found a new japanese sweets shop and wanted them to try it together.

Before any more scenarios could pop up in Maki's mind, the sound of her doorbell snapped her out of her thoughts. "Coming!" she called out as she headed to the door.

As Maki swung the door opened, she was greeted with a sight of a slightly flustered and nervous looking Umi. "Hi Umi, do you want to co-"

"No Maki, that won't be necessary." Umi cut off the red head, her expression unreadable.

"Okay... so what did you need to tell me?" Maki asked, feeling a little worried.

She saw her manager take a deep breath before looking her in the eye. The bluenette looked serious and firm but the second she uttered a word, her confidence shattered. "M-Maki," Umi stammered, "I need you to understand that... d-due to some unforeseen circumstances..." she took another deep breath, "Ican'tbeyourmanagerforawhileandI'mhandingyouovertoNozomi."

The bluenette bowed briefly before turning around dashing towards the taxi waiting for her in the driveway, not even bothering to hear Maki's reply.

The singer was baffled and immediately she yelled at Umi, "What the hell, Umi?! Why?! What do you mean?! You can't do that!"

As she was getting into the cab, Umi replied briskly, "I'm sorry! I n-need some time! I'll explain everything to you via text message! And yes I can, check our contract again!" She slammed the door to the taxi shut and in a split second, the taxi was off, leaving a very shocked and confused Nishikino Maki standing there.

The red head was still in shock as she entered her house again, trying to comprehend what she was just told. And instantly, her phone beeped signaling a new message. She checked her phone and the message read, **"I'm really sorry Maki, I can't bear to explain it all to you. I just need some time away from my job, so I'm handing you over to Nozomi for the time being. I will return as your manager soon. Till then, please listen to Nozomi and try to get along well with Eri and Nico. By the way, you have to meet Nozomi at this address tomorrow at twelve. -Umi"**

And Maki, the newly debuted, extremely popular and talented Nishikino Maki, spent the next ten minutes staring at her phone incredulously.

Maki read the message over and over again, till the words were basically engraved into her mind but she still refused to believe it, hoping Umi was playing a joke on her. She thought about it and laughed a little to herself, then she realised there was no way that the ever-serious and strict Sonoda Umi would play a prank on her and she began to laugh hysterically for an entirely different reason.

...

Maki stood outside Nozomi's penthouse, unable to bring herself to knock on the door or press the doorbell. After a few more moments of hesitation, she tapped her knuckles on the door.

Soon after, the door was open and it revealed a smiling Nozomi, "Please come in, Maki-chan!"

Choosing to ignore how informally Nozomi had addressed her, the redhead entered the penthouse. It was well-furnished and gave a warm, homey feel.

As she stepped further into the house, she spotted Nico and Eri sitting on the couch playing some videogame. The both of them were so engrossed in the game they didn't even notice Maki standing there.

"I'm gonna win this time, Eri!" Nico declared, determined.

"Just try, Nico!" Eri grinned, showing off her competitive side.

A few loud distinctive sounds could be heard from the television.

"H-Hey! No fair!" Nico complained, mashing the buttons on her controller.

"All's fair in love and war." The blonde replied.

And after a few more loud noises, the game ended.

Eri jumped up gleefully, cheering as she held up her controller like a trophy. While Nico fell to the floor dramatically, clutching tightly onto the controller as her head was hung low in shame.

As she watched the overly dramatic scene unfold, she thought to herself, _actors..._ Nozomi showed up behind her, tapping the redhead on the shoulder. Maki turned and saw her holding a glass of ice water, offering the glass to her as she said, "For you, Maki-chan." She glanced at Eri and Nico, "Sorry about them, they tend to get too into the game. It's a good form of stress relief though." She tried to explain, smiling sheepishly.

Maki accepted the glass of water and nodded, looking at the childish duo. Nico was attempting to strangle Eri and the blonde was trying to keep Nico's hands from reaching her neck.

"Erichi, Nicochi!" Nozomi shouted, snapping the both of them out of their childish fight. "We have a guest." She gestured to Maki, "So behave yourselves!" She scolded.

The both of them immediately ceased their playful fight and scrambled to get seated down.

"... Did you see all of that?" Nico asked, looking at Maki.

"I don't even know the level of respect that I should have for you and Eri anymore." the redhead replied.

Nico facepalmed and let out a groan while Eri could only laugh nervously. "This is all your fault, Eri." Nico grumbled, embarassed.

"My fault? Who's the one that suggested we play a game while waiting?" The blonde retorted.

As the two of them continued to push the blame, Nozomi walked over to them and yanked on both of their ears, prompting the both of them to stop arguing and yell out in pain instead.

"Ow! Ow! That hurts!" Nico complained, hand grasping her now red ear.

Eri did the same but without any sound, knowing well that it would just anger Nozomi further.

"I already said to behave yourselves! Now listen or I'll do worse." She reprimanded, frowning. As Maki watched the trio, she couldn't help but think they looked like a little family, the way Nico and Eri are so comfortable with each other and how Nozomi knows exactly what to do when the both of them get out of hand. She let a small smile grace her face.

"Sorry about that Maki-chan! Please, come sit down!" Nozomi said, breaking her train of thought. She took a seat opposite of Nozomi, next to Nico and Eri.

The both of them looked like the whole ordeal hadn't even occured, sitting relaxed next to each other despite their reddened ears. "As you all know, Umi has entrusted the job of being Maki's manager to me." Nozomi started.

"And for reasons unknown, she has decided to take a break." She paused and looked at Maki, "Actually, Maki-chan. Do you know why she decided to take a break all of a sudden?"

Maki shook her head, obviously upset about it. "I don't know, she won't tell me!" The singer grumbled.

"Uhm, I know why." Eri interjected.

"You do?!" Maki and Nozomi yelled, surprised. "Hurry and tell us already!" Nico snapped.

"Okay, okay! She's having some problems with Kotori..." She looked at Nozomi knowingly, "And it really affected her work so she decided to take a break to calm down." Eri explained.

The three of them took some time to digest the information. "What does this have to do with Kotori?" Maki asked, confused as she was unsure of the relationship between them.

"I... I can't reveal that, sorry." Eri replied, rubbing the back of her head. Maki nodded her head, but in fact she was even more confused, why was Umi keeping secrets from her? They had been partners for quite a while and gotten much closer so Maki didn't expect to be kept in the dark about something.

"I see..." Nozomi nodded her head but there was something that perplexed her and it also irked her a little. "Why do you know all this?" she asked. That raised another question in Maki's head, _I'm Umi's partner so why does Eri know all of this but I don't?_

Eri seemed to be caught off guard by this question, her eyes were wide and she visibly tensed up. "Err... how do I say this without shocking all three of you?"

"Just spit it out already!" Nico yelled, unable to handle the suspense.

"... She's currently staying at my house." Eri mumbled out, awkwardly glancing at all three of them.

All their jaws dropped and there was a collective gasp. "What?!" Nico exclaimed, flabbergasted. Nozomi took a deep breath, willing her emotions to calm down as she looked at Eri and said firmly, "Please explain."

Maki had never seen Nozomi with such a look before, the manager's eyebrows were furrowed, a light shadow casted over her usually shining turquoise eyes and her lips pursed. It looked to be a mixture of determination and... irritation?

Eri felt a chill creep down her spine as she stared back at her friend, replying, "Here's what happened..."

* * *

_Flashback (3 days ago)_

A tiring practice session had just ended for Eri, she wiped her sweat away with her towel and took a swig of water from her water bottle.

Currently, she was in charge of teaching and choreograping the dance steps for a new musical, and along with her music career, her schedule was packed to the brim.

Thankfully her day was finally over and she was allowed to go home and get some well-deserved rest. She considered going to Nico's house for dinner but remembered that she and Nozomi had a dinner meeting with one of the executives of WestKino records.

_Take-away sushi it is then._ Eri decided, as she packed her stuff into her bag. However, her eyes lit up when she saw her phone and she fished the cold metal object out of her bag. She saw that she had plenty of notifications and five unread messages. She clicked the message icon and realised that all the messages were from one single person.

That very person who had occupied her mind for the past few days. The person who had managed to captivate her easily with amber orbs and dark blue hair. She was the one who made her feel so relaxed and at ease. That person was none other than Sonoda Umi.

They had exchanged numbers during Anju's party for business purposes but Eri found herself texting the girl for more personal reasons and now she hasn't gone one day without messaging her.

She read the first few messages and chuckled to herself.

**"Good Morning to you too, Eri! -9:00am"**

**"Is your day going to be as packed as yesterday's? -9:05am"**

**"Please make sure you also have time to rest! -9:05am"**

**"I'm assuming your schedule is filled since you haven't replied... -2:15pm"**

**"Ah, I hope I'm not bothering you...Have a good day and reply when you can. -3:00pm"**

Eri smiled, she never realised that Umi could be so possessive. Perhaps it was because they had been texting each other so frequently during the past few days that they were both used to it and a slight change felt odd.

Just as she was about to reply, another message came in.

**"Hey, I know this is sudden but would you like to have dinner? I mean if you haven't already had dinner because I need to talk to you about something. -7:50pm"**

Eri was certaintly intrigued and figuring that since she had no dinner plans anyway, gladly accepted Umi's request.

They agreed to meet a popular sushi restaurant nearby to both of them as the blonde's craving had yet to be satisfied.

Once she entered the restaurant, she spotted Umi seated at one of the booths, sipping on her cup of green tea, her line of sight directed at the window watching people walk by. She made her way over and took a seat down, placing her bag down next to her. "Hi Umi." She greeted with a smile.

The bluenette returned the smile, "Hi Eri, sorry for the sudden invitation. It's just that Maki's busy and I wanted to talk to you about something." she said as Eri looked through the menu.

They chatted about their day and shared smiles however the blonde could sense that something was wrong. Once the food arrived, they dug in, savouring the fresh taste of the seafood that blended well with the rice.

After they finished their meal, Eri focused her attention on Umi. Taking it as a cue to begin, the bluenette spoke, "Well, you know that I'm.. in a r-relationship with Kotori right?"

The quarter Russian nodded, taking a sip of her ice tea. "I met with her this afternoon for lunch and..." Umi paused, sadness evident in her eyes. Eri placed her hand on Umi's, urging the girl to continue.

"She... She b-broke up with me." The bluenette choked out, tears brimming at the side of her eyes.

Eri herself was in utter shock, and she couldn't even imagine how Umi felt when Kotori broke up with her. Glancing at Umi, tears were threatening to fall and she looked so broken and so fragile that a mere touch could shatter her whole being.

"She... She told me that we should take a break because with our careers taking off she d-doesn't think it'll be good for us. S-She said we would be too busy for each other and we should wait till everything is less hectic but I... I don't know why, when will things get better? I don't understand!" Umi cried out, her heart in pieces. She covered her face with her hands, crying.

Eri placed her hand on Umi's shoulder, rubbing back and forth as she let the girl pour out her emotions.

"I just, don't understand... I know I'm not good with romantic stuff and sometimes I get too busy but I always try, I try so hard to make her happy." Umi sobbed. She continued to cry and finally she said in a broken voice, "I l-love her." She pulled away her hands and looked at Eri as she said, "I really really do."

Eri gave her a look of sympathy, the bluenette's eyes were puffy and her hair was frayed. She was still sniffling, and she was in so much heartache. The blonde grabbed her handkerchief from her bag and offered it to her, Umi graciously accepted it, wiping her tear stained cheeks.

Before Eri had the chance to say anything, Umi called a waiter and asked for a bottle of sake. "Umi, are you sure about this?" The blonde asked, a little worried.

The bluenette nodded, "I... I might just need some to get her out of my head for a while." She gave Eri a forced smile. The blonde smiled back at her and said, "It's gonna be okay. I'm sure she has her reasons."

Umi nodded again, but she looked like she was about to cry. Eri noticed and hastily said, "I know it hurts! But, it'll get better with time. You just need to try and avoid thinking about her."

"I.. I think I can try." Umi replied, and she poured herself a cup of sake. She drank it down in one shot, breathing a sigh of relief. Eri nodded and continued to comfort her with words, watching her carefully as she drank.

However, after just one bottle of sake, the bluenette was already totally drunk. Eri had to support the girl as they left the restaurant and Umi rambled on about her heartache. "I just love her... so much." She hiccuped.

"Why!" She suddenly exclaimed loudly, deafening the blonde. "Why would she..." she mumbled, leaning her head on Eri's shoulder.

"Hey, Umi? Can you tell me where you live?" Eri asked, wincing as her ear was recovering from the bluenette's outburst. "Yeah, yeah sure!" Umi grinned, she flung her arm towards a certain direction. "That way, just pass a chocolate bridge off the lands of sweets. Right next to the island of fluffy birds made of cheesecake!"

Eri mentally facepalmed, Umi was clearly too drunk to even think straight. Sighing, she decided that she would have to bring her back to her place for the night.

Umi had begun to sing, "Ohhh... I should have gave you flowers... Should have given you all my hours... But now, my baby is dancing with another woman!" She sobbed onto Eri's shoulder, staining her blue jacket with tears. The blonde tried to pacify her, "No Umi don't be sad, I'm sure you gave her plenty of flowers and I highly doubt she would be dancing with.. another woman right now." But the bluenette had stopped listening and was just mumbling broken lyrics as she rested her head on Eri's shoulder.

Eri hauled a taxi and managed to shuffle Umi into the taxi, as they sped off to her place.

* * *

The next morning Umi was still a total wreck. She managed to thank Eri but started crying the second she saw a bird at the window.

"Umi, are you sure you can go back to work?" Eri asked as she sat at the table with Umi for breakfast. The bluenette had stopped crying, after being comforted by Eri for twenty minutes, and she sighed, "I don't know. I'm not sure that I can do my best for Maki like this."

"Can you take a break? Is that possible?" The blonde asked, munching on her sandwich. Umi pondered over the idea and nodded, "Yes, I can but only if I hand her over to someone temporarily."

Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she excused herself to make a phone call. When she returned, Eri looked at her expectantly. "I can take a break, but I need to tell Maki about it."

The blonde nodded, "I see, who did you hand her over to?" Umi took a sip of coffee before replying, "Nozomi. In return I have gotten you and Nico a new job as well."

Eri was, once again, shocked by Umi's words but she accepted the idea anyway. She looked at the bluenette and noticed that she was twirling her fork, thinking hard about something.

Umi hesitated, "Uhm Eri?" She asked, fiddling with her hands. "Yeah?" Eri replied. "T-Thank you very much for all that you've done! I really appreciate it! I... I shouldn't have bothered you but you helped me so much and even let me spend the night! And you payed for dinner too!" Umi stammered, bowing. Eri felt a little overwhelmed but she smiled. "It's no problem, Umi. Do you live alone?" She asked.

"Hm? Yes, I do." The bluenette replied. Eri tapped her chin, contemplating an idea. "So, you'll be all alone right?" She asked. Umi nodded slowly, wondering what Eri could be thinking.

"Then I've decided. You should stay with me till you feel better." Eri told the bluenette, determination sparkling in her eyes.

"Ehh?! B-But I can't possibly do th-" Umi exclaimed, panicked before she was cut off by Eri, "It's okay. Besides, you can barely look after yourself in this state."

"I c-can!" Umi denied. "You started crying when you tried to crack open a chicken egg." was Eri's blunt reply.

The bluenette looked like she was about to protest but closed her mouth after hearing Eri's words. "If... If it's really no trouble, then I guess I can stay here for a while..." she mumbled, averting her eyes as a visible blush coated her cheeks.

The blonde grinned, glad to have persuaded her and nodded, "Then it's decided! You can go to your place and picked some necessities and stay here for a while!"

Umi sighed, accepting the idea but deep down, she was very grateful for Eri's offer. Her place had too many things that reminded her of Kotori.

As Umi was about to leave to tell Maki about her plan, Eri stood at the door to send her off. "Come back after you grabbed your stuff, okay? I messaged you the address in case you forget the directions."

Umi nodded, and when she reached into her pocket to check her phone, she found the handkerchief Eri had given her yesterday. "Ah, your handkerchief! I'll wash it, then return it to you." Umi said, holding it. Eri shook her head and wrapped her hand around Umi's, "You keep it, just in case." She winked knowingly. "O-Okay, if you say so." The bluenette nodded, clutching onto the handkerchief tightly.

_End of flashback_

* * *

Eri had explained to them, only leaving out the parts on the break-up.

All three of them nodded, trying to comprehend the new information. "So right now, Umi is...?" Nico asked, looking at the blonde.

"Probably just watching cartoons and trying to comfort herself." Eri replied, feeling bad for having to leave her alone. "I see, well with that out of the way, Umi has given us something in return for looking after Maki." Nozomi continued, looking at three of them.

"All three of you... are going to star in a new movie!" She revealed, smiling. "It's called the Heart's Tango." She explained, "The three of you will be the lead actresses. Staring in this heart-stopping romantic comedy, packed with various dances and a love triangle!"

Nico looked absolutely thrilled, knowing the amount of stardom and fame she would get from doing this. Eri also had a smile, the movie would also centre on dancing, which was her forte. Maki, on the other hand, didn't look very interested at all, she was never the acting type but she figured that staring in a big movie would get her music noticed by even more people.

"So it's settled, tomorrow we head to the studio to meet the director and crew!" Nozomi declared, feeling a little excited as well. "Oh! Who's the director?" Nico asked.

"I'm sure you know her, she's really famous after all." Nozomi said, "I wonder how Umi even managed to get this job for you three-" "Hurry and tell us already!" Nico cut her off, impatient.

"Nicochi, patience is a virtue. Don't make me force it into you." The purple haired girl said, emiting a dark aura. Nico gulped and nodded, fearing for the safety of her ears. Nozomi continued, "As I was saying, the director is none other than... Kousaka Honoka!"

…

A/N: And that's how it ends for now! I know, not much NicoMaki this time but fret not, there will be plenty in the next chapter. And just to clarify, yes, there will be some EriUmi (though in the above it's more of friendship) but ultimately, the story ends with KotoUmi and NozoEri. I really like the idea of a KotoUmiEri love triangle though.

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT**

I will be on hiatus for a while, I have exams to study for so the next chapter and my KotoUmi oneshot will only be out in mid Oct to late October.

Regardless, I hope you all understand and I'll see you next time! Please review!


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